Touted as “Broadway’s biggest blockbuster” — being the winner of 50 awards including several Tonys and a Grammy — Wicked is the newest spectacle that Lunchbox Theatrical Productions, together with local partners Concertus Manila, Hi Definition Radio, Inc., David Atkins Enterprises and TicketWorld, is bringing to Manila. Its previous major productions in the country included Cats, Mamma Mia! and last year’s The Phantom of the Opera. The limited season of Wicked, which is presented with corporate sponsors Visa and Smart Infinity, is expected to draw huge crowds yet again to CCP.
With the show’s 50-plus scenes and locations as well as breath-taking flying effects, according to Cundall, the production will come with more than 20, 45-ft. containers of equipment and lighting, sets, costumes and props to recreate the exact grandeur of the Wicked show that’s staged on Broadway in New York and West End in London.
Cundall added that they’re thankful that the CCP has, as in the past, accommodated their “myriad of requirements.” Wicked is the re-imagining of the stories and characters dreamed up by L. Frank Baum in his The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, Wicked features music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (Godspell, Pippin, The Prince of Egypt) and a book by Winnie Holzman (My So-Called Life, Once and Again).
Wicked unravels the untold story of the Witches of Oz — long before Dorothy and her shiny red shoes entered the picture. Once upon a time in the Land of Oz, two girls — one fiery, misunderstood and born with emerald-green skin, the other beautiful, ambitious and popular — cross paths and form an unlikely bond as they journey to become Elphaba a.k.a. Wicked Witch of West and Glinda the Good.
The award-winning Australian cast members Jemma Rix and Suzie Mathers, who portray Elphaba and Glinda, respectively, as well as musical director David Young, were also flown in for yesterday’s presscon. The female leads, who both have clocked in hundreds of appearances essaying their roles in productions in Australia and Asia, described their characters as “dream roles.”
Sponsors Smart Infinity, Visa and Diamond Hotel, meanwhile, are offering special privileges, treats and discounts for Wicked watchers and ticket-buyers. For details, log on to www.wickedthemusical.com.ph, www.facebook.com/wickedmanila, www.ticketworld.com.ph. and www.facebook.com/ConcertusManila.
